This morning’s mini project

Roger Helmer MEP, UKIP Member of Parliament for the East Midlands, has today written to the Charity Commission to call for an investigation into the apparently political activities of the RSPCA, which appears to be in breach of its charitable status.

The RSPCA has recently launched a private prosecution against the Heythrop Hunt, situated within the Prime Minister’s constituency. This decision to issue summonses on an extraordinary 52 separate Hunting Act charges has a clear political motive, in breach of the Charity Commission’s code of conduct. An RSPCA spokesman suggested in a telephone conversation that the action could cost “millions” of pounds and this comes at a time when the RPSCA has publicly discussed its severe financial difficulties as it consults on 130 staff redundancies.

Roger Helmer says: “We all support the RSPCA when it sticks to its core task of protecting and rescuing suffering animals. But when it engages in contentious political campaigns, it calls into question its right to charitable status”.

ENDS

Fun fun fun.

About Alexandra Swann

@alexandralswann
Political commentator and columnist.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandralswann

This petition calls on the government to create a Charities Ombudsman with the power to deal with complaints about charities and the authority to order a charity to provide adequate redress if a complaint is upheld..

The Charity Commission is unable to get involved in a wide range of complaints because they are not within its remit.

If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of a Charity’s own internal complaints procedure their only remaining option is the legal system. With legal aid being cut drastically this is beyond the reach of the majority of people.

Many charities are now running services or even acting as law enforcement agencies, so it is important that they are seen to be properly regulated and to have an effective and objective independent external complaints procedure.